Those Pesky Little I Love Yous
by gnbrules
Summary: Inconvenient, awkward, heartbreaking, or magical. Everyone has had their run-ins with those three little words.
1. Gus

**Those Pesky Little I Love Yous**

**Summary: Inconvenient, awkward, heartbreaking, or magical. Everyone has had their run-ins with those three little words. **

**A/N: I've been into themes lately, and I've picked "I love you" as a theme for this story. So, for each character, I've written five instances in which they had run-ins with those three words, whether they said it, didn't say it, or had it said to them. Each instance is just a little snippet into their lives, and this actually gave me a chance to write some other short stories I'd thought about doing. Some will contain spoilers from all through out the four seasons.  
**

**Gus**

I.**  
**

The girl helps him up after he takes a nasty spill on the playground. He looks at her, and Gus may be only five, but he knows a pretty girl when he sees one. He means to say thank you. What he actually mumbles out is, "I love you."

She stares at him. "You're weird," she says, then runs away. But he swears he sees her smile before she turns away from him.

II.

The funny thing is that Mira isn't all that different from that girl on the playground. She's beautiful and her own personal hurricane, and he's saying I love you before he can even consciously remember her name. There's a wedding somewhere in the drunken haze of his experience with Mira, but for the life of him, he can't even remember saying "I do."

III.

He's fourteen and his mom still tells him that she loves him. Even in front of all his friends. And sometimes in that voice that's generally reserved for babies or puppies.

It's a hard life.

IV.

Shawn's leaving and Gus doesn't know exactly how he's supposed to feel about that. Shawn's been his best friend for years, more like a brother than a friend, really. Gus wants to tell Shawn that he loves him like a brother, but he knows Shawn will only laugh and mock him. So he tells Shawn to be careful instead, and to not to do anything too stupid. They share fist bumps and a totally non-gay bro hug, and then Shawn disappears into the horizon, riding his motorcycle and not looking back. Gus isn't entirely convinced he'll ever see him again.

V.

But he _does_ tell Shawn he loves him, that day in the bank. He really thought he might die, okay? And maybe the hug they share that day _did _seem a little gay, but at least Shawn doesn't say anything about it afterward.


	2. Carlton

**Carlton **

I.**  
**

His father isn't an openly affectionate man, by any stretch of the imagination. Carlton has come to understand that fact even at the tender age of seven. So when his father comes into his bedroom that night, tousles his hair, and says, "I love you, kid. You know that, right?" Carlton can't help but be surprised. He thinks, hopes, that this means things are changing for the better.

But the next day, his father leaves and doesn't come back.

II.

He says I love you over and over again in his proposal. He's rambling and practically incoherent, but the words are there. When she says yes, he really believes it means forever.

III.

The note is left on his desk.

_Dear Detective Dipstick, I just thought you might need a reminder. About what, you may ask? Well, I solved your case. Again. Just in case you forgot._

_I love you lots, _

_Shawn The Psychic Extraordinaire Spencer _

Carlton scowls heavily as he reads, crumples the note, and throws it away.

IV.

The little girl is tiny, and he's the one that finds her hiding beneath her bed after the domestic violence call. Her mother is missing and for whatever reason, the little girl chooses Carlton to cling to. It's a hard few days for them both. He releases her to Child Protective Services while he searches for her mother, who had been kidnapped by her boyfriend.

When he's there to reunite the now-rescued mother and daughter, the little girl hugs him first. "I love you, Detective Carl. I knew you'd find Mommy..."

And then she turns and runs into the arms of her mother, and Carlton sighs contently at the sight.

V.

He almost loses O'Hara that night, and in the early hours of the morning, she's crying in his arms. He can tell by the ache in his chest that she has become more than a partner to him. She's his friend. A best friend, if he's being perfectly honest. Almost like family. He thinks about telling her those three words that would have gone unsaid had anything happened to her. Because he does love her, even if it _is_ just in an almost sibling-like capacity.

But saying "I love you," to his partner is hardly professional, and so he keeps his mouth shut tight. That's not how they operate, anyway.

**A/N: I'm not sure how I feel about that last one, since I'm pretty sure he was just more concerned with comforting her than anything that was bothering _him_. But it's possible that in the back of his mind, he's considering the fact that how much he does care about her could have gone unsaid forever. **


	3. Henry

**Henry**

I.**  
**

"I'm leaving home, Henry."

"It's about time, Jack. You're twenty-one for God's sake."

"No, I mean, I'm leaving The States."

"What?"

"My archeologist friend is going on an expedition in South America. He says there's room for me."

"Jack, why don't you get a real job?"

Jack scowls. "I didn't come for your approval, Big Brother. I just came to say goodbye."

The silence that follows is thick and heavy with tension.

"When are you coming back?" questions Henry finally.

Jack, resolute. "I don't know."

It hits Henry hard then, that he may not see his brother in months or longer. Or ever, if something happens to him. He thinks about saying those three words he has so much trouble with, but he swallows them back and chooses a different three instead. "Be careful, Jacky."

II.

He decides to say it for the first time over a candle-lit dinner. They've been dating for awhile, and it's time he just said it, just got it out in the open finally.

"You look beautiful, Maddy."

"Thanks," she smiles.

"No, I mean, you look _really _beautiful. And I just, I want to say, I mean, I think I'm...I..."

"Henry? Please just say whatever you're trying to say."

He scowls. "I love you."

She blinks in surprise, then smirks. "Um, why was that so hard for you?"

Henry shrugs helplessly. "Because you still haven't said it back."

Her smile is kind and wonderful. "I love you too, Henry."

III.

The postcards come with irregular frequency, so he's never really sure if his son is in the same place by the time he gets each card. Even so, he considers writing a letter every time one appears in his mailbox. Once, he evens sits down at his desk, paper in front of him and pen in hand. _Dear Son, I..._

He doesn't know what to say after that.

_I'm sorry? I can't believe you left without a word? I love you?_

He writes those last three words upon the page, then scowls. His son probably wouldn't even care. He crumples the page and tosses it into the trash.

IV.

He doesn't let her go back to another hotel after all that happened. He takes her home and gives her the guest room. He hovers perhaps a little too much, but she lets him say goodnight as she adjusts herself in bed. Briefly, he wonders what it would feel like to join her. To be able to hold her again. But he doesn't suggest it. However, other words are out of his mouth before he can stop them. "Goodnight, Maddie. I love you."

She says it back, but it's accompanied by the look that plainly says, _you know we aren't together anymore._

He closes the bedroom door, and his heart aches as it hasn't in a long time.

V.

Shawn asks the question, and Henry doesn't have to give it any thought. He already knows what he would say to Shawn in the final fifteen seconds of his life, but the problem is, the words are just so hard to release.

But this time, he wants to try.

"I'd want to tell you that uh, well, I'd do my best to express...look, what I want you to know - "

"That's it, Pop. You're dead. I'm closing your eyelids, taking off your watch, putting that thing on Craigslist."

Shawn leaves with jokes and sarcasm, and it isn't til he's gone that Henry finds the courage to say it.

"I'd just want to say I love you..."


	4. Juliet

**Juliet**

I.**  
**

She loves watching her parents interact. She believes they must be soulmates; that's the only possible explanation. How else could they still be so in love after so many years?

Mrs. O'Hara kisses her husband's cheek just before he leaves for work. "I love you, Sweetie."

"I love you too, Darling." he replies, beaming like a man so in love he can't quite see straight.

Juliet watches from the kitchen table and smiles, knowing in her heart that if she is half as lucky as her parents, she'll still be the happiest girl in the world.

II.

"_I need you to know that...I love you."_

She almost says it back. She really almost does, but then he cuts her off and a name that is not her own rings in her ear.

"_Goodbye, Abigail." _

III. _  
_

Her brother disappears shortly after the arrest. His files have vanished and it's like the attempted murder never happened. Juliet hates her brother for escaping justice, hates him for becoming what he is now. She actually wonders if they'll ever be able to talk to each other again. But he calls just a day later, and against her will, she answers it. "I can't believe you'd call," she tells him. "Where are you?" she spits.

"Can't tell you. I just...please don't hate me forever, Sis."

"I'm not sure I even know you now, Ewan."

"That's okay. But I just want you to know that I'm proud of you and I wish...things were different."

"They could be if you put real justice before the supposed honor and glory of the military."

"We both do our jobs," he says. "I'll try to see you next Christmas, if you promise not to try and arrest me. For Mom and Dad's sake."

She still doesn't know if she can ever sit in the same room with him. "No promises."

He chuckles deeply. "I love you, Sis. Always will."

"Goodbye, Ewan." she says quickly, and then hangs up before he can hear the sniffling that would give away the fact that she's crying.

IV.

Lassiter calls her, drunk, from the bar. He needs a ride and doesn't want to shell out the money for a cab. She sighs and shakes her head, but she isn't too mad because she knows this past case was especially rough on him.

She picks him up and lets him lounge in her back seat. "I love you," he says, and she's pretty concerned until she looks back through her mirror and sees that he seems to be talking to his pair of handcuffs instead of to her.

Juliet is just grateful that he holds in his puke until he reaches his apartment bathroom.

V.

After only a few weeks of dating, Juliet begins to realize that Shawn likes to cuddle more than any other person she's ever met. Even when they're just on her couch, watching a movie, he always pulls her closer so that she's practically on his lap. His arms wrap tight around her and he rests his head on her shoulder, so that their faces are next to each other. Sometimes, he even starts to fall asleep that way, with his head resting against hers. On one of those times, he actually notices that he's beginning to doze. "Hmm, Jules?" he murmurs sleepily in her ear.

"What is it, Shawn?"

He snuggles a little closer, holds her a little tighter. "Love you, Jules."

And Juliet just smiles, relaxes into his hold, and kisses his cheek. "Love you too, Shawn."

**A/N: I think the instance with Ewan is my favorite. The idea for it was originally going to be a oneshot right after "You Can't Handle This Episode," but I'm glad I saved it to use as a snippet here instead. Sort of a happy accident that it just fit so well. :) **


	5. Karen Vick

**Karen Vick**

I.

It's hell without him. There is no peace. There is no sleep. She is left with a crying kid, a helpless husband, and her own feelings of complete inadequacy. It's just an absolute nightmare.

She calls him after the whole hiring-Spencer-idea blows up in her face. "Please," she says, and she isn't above begging at this point. "Iris misses you so much. Isn't there something you can do, Tim?"

He must hear her desperation. "You know, Aunt Karen, I was thinking about transferring to school down there...be closer to home, and it's cheaper...I could schedule my classes so I can watch Iris when you need me."

"Please, do it..."

"I will."

"Oh, God, Tim. You're a life-saver. I_ love_ you," she says, practically crying with relief.

Tim just laughs. "I love you too, Aunt Karen."

II.

Here's the thing.

Karen is a sensible woman. She knows she is.

But there's always been something about Phil Collins that makes her lose all sense of dignity and melt and scream like a crazy fan girl.

"_I love you, Phil!" _

Her voice is lost among the other thousands, but Phil ends his song and smiles at that exact second, and she likes to believe that maybe, just maybe, he heard her.

III.

Sometimes, Karen thinks too much. Even as she's being goaded into another fight with her sister, she thinks.

She thinks about how they used to be. Close. Confidantes. Friends.

But her sister's voice comes through the phone, and her coolly sarcastic words remind Karen that it isn't like that now. "I'll talk to you later, _Interim _Chief Vick."

And then the line goes dead, and at that, Karen thinks, "_Barb, remember when we used to say I love you at the end of our phone conversations? What happened to that?" _

IV.

The card still sits on her desk. It's simple and sweet and the pictures, though the work of a child, were obviously drawn with care and attention to detail.

_Happy Muthers Day!_

_I luv you, Momy!_

_Frum, Iris_

It's things like this that make those hours of labor totally worth it.

V.

She finds it pretty ironic that, most of the time, she doesn't believe in psychics. The young Spencer produces results that sometimes seem otherworldly, but Karen is no idiot. She knows Henry, knows how much time he would have spent refining his son's skills. She knows Shawn is just hyper-observant with a liking for theatrics.

So she doesn't really believe in psychics, even though she employs one.

But sometimes, she thinks that maybe her husband is the real thing.

How else could he know how bad of a day she was having at work?

Why else did he think of sending her that ultra-sweet text message that brightened her mood?

She looks at the message over and over again throughout the day; it gives her strength and reassurance and keeps her from snapping at everyone and everything.

It reads simply: _Smile because I love you. _

**A/N: I wasn't originally going to write this chapter, because I didn't have any ideas for it at first. But I didn't like leaving the Chief out, nor did I like putting the Shawn and Juliet chapters so close together. And so, after a lot of thinking, these ideas just came up. I had to use characters we don't know much about/have never seen, but I think it still worked out. Reviews are greatly appreciated. :)**_  
_


	6. Shawn

**A/N: Final chapter. :) **

**Shawn**

I.**  
**

He's eavesdropping outside his parents' bedroom. He figures his Dad might be proud of him if he knew; cops do have to be able to sneak and snoop and hear well, after all.

The words are quiet, his mother's. "How come you never tell Shawn you love him, Henry?"

"What?" demands Henry, already on the defensive. "Of course I love him."

"But you never tell him."

"Come on, Mad. He knows I do."

"_I do?" _wonders Shawn.

"You know you and him are everything to me."

"_I do," _Shawn confirms to himself. He thinks about going in and telling his dad that he loves him too, but then he decides that he'll probably just get in trouble for being out of bed. So he sneaks back up to his room and cuddles with his pillow. He yawns and thinks, _I love you too, Dad._

But he doesn't say it.

II.

His parents are fighting again, and so Shawn sneaks out. He goes to the convenient store where a friend that's a few years older than him works. He shows his ID for the purpose of the security camera, but Todd doesn't care that he's underage and sells him the beer anyway. He gets drunk as he walks to Gus's house, and he sneaks in through his friend's bedroom window. Gus isn't surprised; he is fairly used to Shawn's nighttime visits by now.

"Fighting again?"

"Uh-huh."

"Todd?"

"Uh-huh."

"I need to tell that guy to cut you off."

"Aw, man, it's good. I swear."

"Shawn..."

"Gus, thanks for...you know. Not kicking me out...I really, really love you, man."

The words are slurred and sloppy, and Gus just sighs and wishes his friend could find a better escape.

III.

When Abigail says those three words, Shawn freezes momentarily. But then he smiles, works his mouth around the only acceptable response. "I love you too," he says, and he silently hopes it sounds more sincere than it feels.

IV.

Juliet collapses against him. The night was hard and long and dangerous, and ripped them all through their cores.

But it's over, finally, and everyone is safe. Yin has been killed in the struggle, and Juliet is wrapped in his arms.

"I love you, Shawn," she whispers to his neck.

He pulls her even tighter, kisses her head. "I love you too, Jules." And he's never meant anything more in his life.

V.

When Juliet tells him the news, Shawn is overwhelmed with happiness. He hugs her and twirls her, kisses her, then kneels down to speak to her tummy. "You may be just the size of an olive right now, but I love you already, Little Person."

**A/N: I feel a little bad for Abigail in number three. I mean, I think Shawn did love her a little bit...just not enough. Anyways, reviews are greatly appreciated. Thanks to everyone who have read and/or reviewed so far. :D **


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